The invention relates to a food product slicing machine with a circular knife, a carriage for accommodating products to be cut which is guided for displacement parallel to the cutting plane of the circular knife and a drive motor for the displacement of the carriage, wherein the carriage can be operated manually in a servo operating mode in which the carriage movement is assisted by the drive motor.
The invention relates, in addition, to a method for the operation of a food product slicing machine in a servo operating mode, comprising a carriage for accommodating products to be cut which is displaceable back and forth parallel to the cutting plane of a circular knife, wherein the carriage can be operated manually in the servo operating mode in which the carriage movement is assisted by a drive motor.
In the case of food product slicing machines for cutting foods such as cold meats and cheese, an automatic operation or a manual operation is customarily provided. During automatic operation, the carriage is moved back and forth on its guide path fully automatically. During manual operation, the corresponding force must be exerted by the operator to move the carriage and, in particular, to guide the carriage with the product to be cut past a circular knife. Food product slicing machines which can be operated in a semi-automatic mode (servo operating mode) are disclosed, for example, in EP 0 881 045 A2 or AT 394 152 B. In such a servo operating mode, the carriage is operated by hand, i.e., guided by hand, wherein the drive motor assists the carriage movement. As a result, a reduced expenditure of force is required.